


The Reapings of Rory Williams

by Kaelynisfree



Category: Doctor Who, Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Everybody Dies, Gen, Reapers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 04:58:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaelynisfree/pseuds/Kaelynisfree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Although Death had a plan, it got old rather quickly to be honest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reapings of Rory Williams

Death had a quick smile.  

His ‘happiness’ was expressed with a momentary curl of the lips. Anything more than a moment was unnecessary. He had until the end of time, the end of the universe, to smile again.   
  
His smile never lasted, but there were times when it lingered.   
  
Curiously, there were a few humans (sort of) who could amuse Death long enough to make his smile remain.   
  
Death knew Rory Williams. And Rory Williams knew Death. Rory didn’t know he knew Death, but that’s another story entirely. 

Every time he died, Death greeted him personally with a handshake and a smile that implied Death knew a joke Rory did not.   
  
“Back so soon, Mr. Williams?”   
  
“You really can’t get enough, can you, Mr. Williams?”   
  
“I’ve seen humans come back for seconds, but you must really like me.  _Humans_ never come back for thirds or fourths.”   
  
At first, Rory was confused. He ignored the jokes and asked questions instead.   
  
“How did I go?”   
“How did I go this time?”   
“Will I be remembered?”   
“Will she remember me?”    
  
It was a while before he realized Death was trying to tell him something. Behind those oft-given greetings, sighs, and smirks there was a message.   
  
Once, Rory saw him while he was working at the hospital. Rory blanched, instinctively looking for his corpse at his feet. This time, there was none. Ignoring the looks from the nurses, he followed Death to the pizza place down the street.   
  
They sat a table and while Death decided on a mushroom and Rory waited for his heart to slow to a normal rate.   
  
“Don’t you have a places to go, people to reap?” He asked as the waiter set down the slice.   
  
Death chewed for a few seconds before answering.   
  
“I needed a companion, and God seems to have gone missing again.”   
  
There was room for a witty quip, but Rory was wary of offending Death. Or God. He picked up a slice instead of answering.   
  
“If you don’t start speaking soon,” Death said, as Rory was halfway through a mouthful, “I will get bored.”   
  
Rory choked and hurried to fill the silence. He talk about Amy, his daughter, the Doctor. Anything and everything. Exciting and mundane. 

  
Death listened.   
  
Rory didn’t expect to enjoy talking to Death; he was so calculated and patient. There was no youth or immaturity in his quips or advice. Rory thought it would have been more like traveling: chaotic, wild, an adventure.  However, Death was calm, reserved, and even polite.   
  
“Well, I suppose I should get home. Amy will be waiting for me. Got keep living my life, you know.”   
  
Death rolled his eyes. “Ah yes. Of course. You do it so well, Rory Pond,” and he disappeared.   
  
~   
  
The next time they met, Rory gave Death an exasperated sigh, a defeated sigh. “You really do have a twisted sense of humor.”   
  
A chuckle from Death. “You’ll come back from this. You always do. No matter how hard I try.”   
  
~   
  
The last time he greeted death, he greeted Death with a quick smile. “Am I done?” he asked.   
  
“Done with this, yes,” Death said. “Now the real work begins.”   
  
Rory furrowed his brow, opened his mouth to speak because Death wasn’t making any sense.   
  
“You’re a Reaper, Mr. Williams. A different purpose requires a different path.”   
  
Rory’s shocked “What?” was waved off with a flick of Death’s bony wrist.   
  
 ”I created you to be different from your siblings. This life you lived will allow you to ease the passage of those who’ve died too many times before, or who have seen the universe and cannot cope with the afterlife.”   
  
Rory nodded his head as Death spoke, but then he processed the words. “Wait.. what?”   
  
~   
  
He reaped Amy first.   
  
Death mentioned something about helping family into paradise being easier than helping normal people. Rory wasn’t sure he believed it, but Amy was laying on her deathbed and she was only slightly pissed at him for taking so long.   
  
“And who’s that?” she asked when she noticed Rory’s shadow. He could see she was uneasy, but the fact he was there seemed to make her feel safe.   
  
Rory pondered her question for a moment. “My new boss, I think.”   
  
Death didn’t appreciate the pointless chatter and motioned for Rory to move it along.   
  
“Don’t be too long now,” Amy told him, kissing his cheek. “I expect you to be back before supper.”   
  
Rory didn’t want to cry, but she was so beautiful and even in death he couldn’t see her hurt.    
  
“I promise, I’ll be home for supper, every evening.”    
  
And he was.   
  
Every night, Rory returned to Amy’s paradise and she slept with her husband by her side until he left for his work when she would return to her other paradise: her memories of traveling with Rory and the Doctor.   
  
“I love you, Amy.”   
  
The human display disgusted Death and he urged Rory to continue on.    
  
~   
  
Rory almost couldn’t bare reaping his father. Brian was so happy to see him that Rory’s heart almost broke in two.   
  
“I waited for you, just like the Doctor said.”   
  
It had been so long, Rory did not know what to say.   
  
“And here you are, in the nick of time.”   
  
Silence. Tears welled up in Rory’s eyes.    
  
“The doctor told me what happened. But there’s only one thing I need to know. Were you happy?”   
  
Brian saw that Rory wanted tell him everything: everything he missed, everything he would have loved, everything he would have hated. But there was no time.   
  
Rory give him a quick smile and a “Yes, Dad. We were very happy.”   
  
~   
  
“Can I go to Melody next?”   
  
Rory was never close to his daughter (and how could he be?), but he wanted badly to be there for her at least this once.   
  
“I’m afraid her situation is complex.” Death replies as he takes Rory to the Library and shows him.    
  
“She sacrificed herself for him.”   
  
“Haven’t we all?” Rory commented under his breath.    
  
“It’s seems he’s made it so she is immortal. Not like you or me, but she’ll remain alive; content.”   
  
He could not bring himself to do it, but Rory knew he probably should have thanked the Doctor.   
  
~   
  
He started to greet time travelers, space travelers. So many had adventures with the Doctor (his doctor and the other doctors), but he was surprised to find out many lived to a good old age.    
  
He smiled a quick, short smile.   
  
He remembered reaping Donna Noble. The moment she passed, she remembered everything. Rory thanked her for all of her long forgotten deeds.   
  
She didn’t ask him about the memories. Instead, she asked about her granddad.   
  
“He’s on the hill, watching the stars and waiting for you, of course.”   
  
“You’re joking,” she replied, an incredulous look on her face. “I told him not to wait. But does he listen to me? No.”    
  
Rory liked Donna; so much he wished he could have met her when they were both alive.   
  
~   
  
Rory remembered his conversation the Face of Boe (well, Jack Harkness). In 5 billion years, Boe’s sense of humor had not changed.   
  
Rory was used to flirting, but the way Jack did it made him blush. He told Amy about the Captain, and although she was intrigued she assured Rory she would never look for Boe’s paradise.   
  
~   
  
There were many people Rory visited he wished he knew when he was alive. There was Susan and Barbara, Ace and Sarah Jane, Adric and Alistar Lethbridge-Stewart. All were brilliant, perhaps even more-so than he. He’d never admit it to Amy though.   
  
~   
  
Susan was a bright woman. She was not as old as she should have been, but she had a spark; he saw it in the way she asked questions.   
  
They talked for a while before he revealed his past with the TARDIS.   
  
“Did you know grandfather?”    
  
“Well, technically, I was his father-in-law.  But I also did a bit of traveling with him.”   
  
Her laughter was refreshing. She took his hand and shook it. “Do you think you’ll see him again?”   
  
Rory tried to be the Last Centurion, letting his eyes go dark. He couldn’t speak. He broke when he thought about who he would reap next.   
  
~   
  
“You can’t possibly think I can do it. I won’t do it.”   
  
As amusing as an angry Reaper was, Rory being evasive was not on Death’s list of “fun things to do whilst on vacation.”   
  
Death stared at him. “You’ve been training for this, Rory. I can’t send anybody. This is where it all leads to.”   
  
“What? You can’t do it? Have you got something better to do that day?”   
  
“I’ll be there, but he deserves better.” 

~  
  
Rory let the day come, not bothering to make sense of the conversation. The last of his humanity retreated in fear (and in sorrow) so that the Last Centurion stood waiting on the fields of Trensolore, watching as the Doctor fell.   
  
“Rory the Roman… Rory the Reaper! I should have known Death had a plan for you.” He laughed as if finally understanding a joke he’d heard once a long time ago.   
  
He gave Rory a large hug and instead of freezing awkwardly, Rory hugged the Doctor back.   
  
“So what now, Rory the Reaper?”  he asked inquisitively.    
  
Rory had never reaped someone genuinely excited. With the others, there was a sense of fear no matter the relief, the shock (or arousal in the case of one Jack Harkness). With the Doctor he only sensed pure anticipation and joy.    
  
“Well, Doctor,” Rory replied, now offering the Doctor his hand. “How do you feel about another adventure?”   
  
Rory imagined what the Doctor could have said in this moment. An “Allons-y,” a “Fantastic” or a “Geronimo”, but the Doctor said nothing. Instead, he took Rory’s hand and for once let him lead. 


End file.
